1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital camera having a function for cropping a part of an image formed by an imaging device.
2. Description of the Related Art
The number of pixels of imaging devices used in digital cameras is being increased year after year. As a result, precise images and clearly enlarged prints can be obtained. A news photo that is inserted in a newspaper, a magazine, or the like is often created by cropping (cutting out) a part of an original image and enlarging the cropped image. When an image that has been formed is cropped, it needs a process time (edit time). Thus, for a news photo whose edit time necessary after it is photographed until it is reported (or inserted) should be as short as possible, it is desired to shorten the image process time for the crop process.
On the other hand, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 11-331664 proposes a digital camera that has a crop function for cutting out only an image in an area designated by a frame displayed on a display screen.
On the other hand, the amount of information of one image is increasing as the number of pixels is increasing. Thus, a memory that has a large capacity for such images is required. To reduce a memory area and increase the number of photographable images, the digital camera allows the user to select a record size or a compression rate of an image. The memory area can be also reduced by the foregoing crop function.
However, with a digital camera having the conventional crop function, the photographer should set an area to be cropped (hereinafter simply referred to as crop area). In reality, while observing a crop area that is displayed on a display screen such as a finder's screen or a liquid crystal display's screen, the photographer should set the crop area and photograph a subject. Thus, when the photographer photographs a speedy subject such as sports players or children who are moving around, the photographer may miss a shutter chance. In other words, when the photographer performs motion photography, it is difficult and impractical for the photographer to set a crop area in addition to various setting items such as a focus setting.
When the photographer performs motion photography at a news spot or the like, it is difficult for the photographer to use the crop function. Thus, after an image of a subject has been photographed, the photographed image should be processed so as to obtain a photographer's desired crop image. However, when the post-photographed image process is performed, it takes a long time after a desired image is cut out from an image of a subject until the cutout image is reported or inserted.